A popular island in the middle of the James River which is only accessible by two bridges (a pedestrian footbridge and a service bridge for emergency and park vehicles). There are two sections of trail on Belle Isle. The “Lost Trail” is located on the eastern edge of the island, and is a flat, flowing trail with a few bermed turns. The other section of trails are located on top of the hill in the middle of the island. Connecting these two trail sections is the “Lost Garden,” the longest rock garden in the area under the service bridge. The trails on the top of the island are moderately more difficult, with tight singletrack riddled with lots of roots and tight turns. There are great view of the river from the top of the hill near the western side of the island.

Belle Isle is home to the Belle Island Bicycle Skills Area where you can learn new skills that will help you navigate the rest of the trail system.

Access Info

From the Belle Isle (Tredegar) parking lot, ride along the paved road heading west and make a right U-turn past the iron gate to head up the walkway to the pedestrian bridge. Continue onto the pedestrian bridge and down the other side to reach the beginning of the gravel access road.

If you turn left after exiting the ramp, you'll ride the eastern side of the island consisting mostly of flat terrain that leads to the Bike Skills Course and a shorter loop on the southeast side of the island.

If you turn right after exiting the ramp, you'll ride the hillier side of the island winding through more sloped terrain. This singletrack will occasionally meander into the gravel road. That said, stay alert for pedestrians.

Belle Isle can be included into the James River Park System featured ride loop that connects between North Bank Trail on the north side of the river and Buttermilk Proper and Buttermilk East on the south side. To access Belle Isle from North Bank Trail, head over the wooden walkway underneath Lee Bridge and down the gravel road to reach the Belle Isle (Tredegar) parking lot. To access Belle Isle from the south side of the river, start at the intersection of Buttermilk Proper and Buttermilk East and cross over the walkway above the railroad and down the steps. You can either branch off to the left for paved access or to the right for a narrower ride along the fence. Cross the wooden access bridge to reach the island.